Emily Moffitt dreams in the third person.
It is in part these dreams that inspired her recent show, appropriately named Dreamscapes. Combining abstractions with representational figures and landscapes, Moffit explores cultural identity, grief, and family trauma.
A Columbia native, Moffit is a senior English and studio art student at the University of South Carolina. Dreamscapes is the culmination of her work as a student artist.
The exhibition features a variety of approaches—the technique evolved over time as Moffit expanded her thematic goals and widened the range of mediums. Beginning with pieces on mixed media paper, Moffit extended her practice to include collaged bits of mylar and yupo. The latter portion of the show includes works on black canvas.
Regardless of what medium she works with, Moffit likes to start her pieces intuitively, using liquid India inks and spraying them with water to allow the piece to develop organically— marks she calls “meticulously random.” She didn’t put pressure on the images looking perfect in the early stages.
“It was a really random process and I really enjoyed how freeing it started out as, with the ability to get more fine-tuned mark making as the piece progressed,” Moffit says.
Half Puerto Rican, Moffit used these pieces to express and explore her identity. After the recent passing of her abuela, the project helped her pass through stages of grief while navigating healthy ways of coping with trauma.
Pieces feature recurring iconography that stems from symbols of the Taíno people, who resided in what is currently Puerto Rico. Turtles, frogs (coquí), icons for the sun and moon god hide between the color and texture of Moffit’s pieces. These symbols are used heavily in modern life in Puerto Rico and are associated with their culture.
“I remember seeing them growing up since my mom had necklaces of some of them, and I have a coquí sticker on my car.” Moffit says. “It’s little things like that I see that makes me feel that much more connected, so I decided to incorporate them into my pieces.
The shared culture and trauma of the family is an ongoing theme in the work— a complicated subject given Moffit’s mixed heritage and limited fluency in Spanish. This sense of fractured identity is an inspiration for and important facet of Moffit’s recent work.
Moffit always dreamed in the third person, but as her mental health became drained, so her dreams became convoluted and confusing. Already in the practice of processing through her art, Moffit used her work as a way of translating these dreams— and her sense of self.
Moffit’s work was initially illustrative (it was only in college that she learned the difference between illustration and fine art), but Moffit progressed into finding an intentional “fine art” style in the past year. This show was an attempt to blend the joy of creating both.
While Dreamscapes marks the end of Moffit’s work as an undergraduate, she has no intentions of quitting art. Moffit doesn’t know where her process may take her. Whether she will continue mapping out dreams or follow another passion, Moffit’s love for the arts isn’t going anywhere.
Until then, Moffit hopes that viewers can use her show as a “conversation starter” for how their own dreams can be perceived. “I used to think dreams didn’t have much meaning until last year and that’s why I ended up making these works in the first place,” Moffit says.
Dream on, Emily Moffit.
By Stephanie Allen
